Gerard Swope papers

Gerard Swope, 1872-1957, SB in electrical engineering, 1895, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), was a member of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology corporation for thirty-nine years, as a term member from 1914 to 1919, and as a life member from 1923. He was a member of the Corporation's Executive Committee, 1939-1946. Gerard Swope began working at the Western Electric Company in 1895 and rose through the ranks to become vice president and director within twenty years. During World War I, he was a member of the General Staff of the Army, awarded the Distinguished Service Medal. After the war, in 1919 he became president of the International General Electric Company, and in 1922 he was elected president of the General Electric Company (GE), the parent organization. He was also involved in the development of radio and radio accessories and a director of numerous companies in the electric and power industries. After his retirement from General Electruc in 1939, he served as chair of the New York City Housing Authority and during World War II resumed the presidency of General Electric for two years.

Also see "Resolutions of the Corporation of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on the Death of Gerard Swope, Emeritus Life Member", Corporation minutes, December 2, 1957